Chapter 4 , Memory 3

Lucas''s fear of Dominic serving him food lasted until Lucas entered high school, and Dominic was in his senior year of college.

Uncle said Dominic was busy with his internship and didn''t have time to come back. Hearing this, Lucas let out a huge sigh of relief!

Lucas attended the same high school Dominic had gone to. However, while Dominic had easily gotten into the advanced class, Lucas had to work tirelessly just to get into the regular class.

The high school atmosphere was intense. A good school was different; everyone was working hard.

Lucas''s grades were in the lower middle of the class. If he didn''t work hard, it would be difficult to get into college!

Lucas didn''t have the time or energy to focus on anything other than studying. The school bulletin board still had Dominic''s ID photo, and every time Lucas saw Dominic''s smiling face, he felt a pang in his heart.

He would either remember Dominic telling ghost stories with a smile, serving him food with a smile, or mocking him with a smile. Damn, his motivation to study suddenly surged!

If Lucas had known Dominic''s photo had such an effect, he would have used it to motivate himself a long time ago!

Whenever Lucas felt tired, he would stand in front of the school bulletin board, look at Dominic''s photo, and then leave, gritting his teeth and feeling rejuvenated, ready to continue studying.

To keep up with his classmates, Lucas voluntarily joined a study group created by the teachers. On weekends without classes, he stayed at school instead of going home.

Lucas only went home during winter and summer breaks.

But even then, he was either reviewing or preparing to start reviewing, which made Mr. and Mrs. Churchill very pleased.

That year, Lucas''s life was monotonous but fulfilling.

Lucas''s hard work paid off. By his sophomore year, his grades had improved to the upper middle level.

Unexpectedly, one Sunday, he received a call from Dominic...

I have no idea where that scoundrel got his phone number from, but under Dominic''s strong insistence, they exchanged contact information.

Dominic said, "If Lucas has any questions about his studies, he can ask me!"

Dominic mentioned that he stayed in Bliss City for work, and the salary and benefits were pretty good.

He also specifically reminded me to study hard and aim to get into a university in Bliss City. If I got in, he promised to buy me a computer as a reward.

Although Dominic often made me grind my teeth in frustration, he was genuinely a good elder.

Every year, no matter where he was, he would send me a birthday gift. I figured this time, I could really hold him to his promise of a computer!

Having a computer as a reward made a difference. I was always motivated to study, but his encouragement added a strange sense of anticipation to my immature heart.

Time flew by as I studied, and soon, I was taking my college entrance exams. During this period, I spoke with Dominic a few times over the phone.

One night, when I was stuck on a problem, I sent him a picture of it, but he didn''t reply. Frustrated, I called him.

His voice sounded tired on the phone. He must have just gotten on the bus. Thinking about his situation, I felt a twinge of guilt.

Another time, at eleven at night, I thought he must be getting ready for bed, but when I called, he was getting into a taxi.

When he answered, I heard him giving the driver his address. I didn''t ask him about the problem and never called him again.

After the exams, I enrolled in a driving school. Every day, I practiced under the scorching sun. Being slow to warm up, I was constantly scolded by the instructor like an idiot.

As an introvert, I couldn''t joke back or laugh it off like the other students. Sometimes, I felt getting a driver''s license was harder than the college entrance exams!

One day, after practice, I got home and received an acceptance letter from a top university in Bliss City. The tension finally melted away.

I had no friends to share this joy with, and the first person I thought of was Dominic.

I called him, but he didn''t answer. Thinking he was busy, I sent him a message on QQ.

But that simple message seemed to disappear into the void, with no reply.

Did Dominic think I was calling to ask for the computer, so he deliberately ignored me?

Honestly, it didn''t matter if I didn''t get the computer. I just wanted to share my joy with him and tell him I would be coming to Bliss City.

I wanted to sit in a café in Bliss City and walk the streets he had walked.

But Dominic seemed to have vanished. Occasionally, the family would mention his past achievements, but no one talked about his current situation.

During holidays, I couldn''t help but go home. Whenever the elders mentioned Dominic, I would hold my breath.

But my great-uncle, who used to be proud of Dominic, now kept silent about him.

I even wondered if Dominic had done something wrong, and the family felt he had brought shame, so they didn''t talk about him.

It couldn''t be. Dominic didn''t seem like the type to break the law.

Then, a few days before my birthday, I received a package. There was no name, just the information of an online store, but I recognized Dominic''s touch immediately.

My long-held anxiety finally eased. It seemed he hadn''t been arrested. But why hadn''t he replied to my messages or calls back then?

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn''t convince myself. I decided to call and ask what was going on.

Dominic wasn''t a petty person. He wouldn''t avoid me just because he didn''t want to buy me a computer.

Unfortunately, the number I had saved for so long went from being turned off to being disconnected, and I never received a reply to my QQ messages. It seems I''ve completely lost contact with Dominic.

Dominic is always such a jerk, barging into other people''s lives whenever he wants.

He doesn''t care if you''re willing or not. When he''s had his fun, he leaves. Can he really just wave his sleeve and not take away a single cloud?

I suddenly realized that if Dominic doesn''t want to contact me, there''s no way I can reach him.

I guess this means he''s unilaterally ended our friendship!

So what does this birthday gift mean?

Is it the last bit of goodwill from an elder to a younger person?

With these unanswered questions in mind, I started my college life.

In this unfamiliar but exciting environment, I joined the school''s volunteer association, and I had endless things to do every week.

In my free time, I would sit in the school library and read. I really liked the library; it was quiet enough, and the variety of books was rich.

After quietly graduating from college, my parents inexplicably became very anxious. They even started arranging blind dates for me, which I found hilarious.

Their reason was that a guy with my personality couldn''t attract any girls in college, so the chances of me staying single for life were about ninety percent.

Plus, with the current gender imbalance in society and girls becoming pickier, the chances of being single in middle age were as high as ninety-nine percent!

"Isn''t there still a one percent chance?" I asked.

Of course, they ignored my question and hurriedly made arrangements. I thought that after being single for so long, it wouldn''t hurt to try dating.

Through a not-so-familiar relative, I met a girl named Rebecca. She was exactly like her name, very Rebecca. Her personality and lifestyle were like a female version of me!

I guess that''s why she got unanimous approval from my family.

We exchanged contact information and chatted casually for a year.

We both felt good about each other. I knew why—being with another version of myself was always comfortable.

Naturally, we confirmed our relationship. Working in Bliss City, we saw each other at least once a week.

On weekends, we would go to the library together or occasionally watch a movie.

This simple relationship was approved by both our parents. I thought, unless something unexpected happened, I would marry this girl named Rebecca!

We had an open and honest conversation from the start. We agreed on our relationship, which was more like a partnership than a romantic relationship.

That day was our first private meeting. Our first meeting was a year ago at the blind date.

We were probably both pressured by our parents and chatted a few times out of obligation. But later, we found we were very similar and gradually became familiar with each other.

That day was our first private meeting. Our first meeting was a year ago at the blind date.

But what I didn''t expect was that as soon as we sat down, her first sentence almost made my jaw drop!

"I have a psychological shadow that prevents me from normally liking men. Sometimes being with men makes me feel slightly nauseous and uncomfortable," she said casually.

"Do your family know?" I cautiously guessed her purpose for meeting me today.

"No, and I don''t dare let them know."

"Then you... then you..." I was trying to find a way to say it without hurting her. Besides my mom, I really had little experience interacting with the opposite sex.

"Are you asking if I''ve seen a doctor? I have, but it didn''t help," she said nonchalantly.

"But I don''t feel nauseous around you. You give me a feeling that''s kind of funny, like another version of myself."

"......" You might not believe it, but I feel the same way!

"I know you don''t like me, but you don''t hate me either, right? Just like how I feel about you. I''m not sure if you like men, but I have a feeling we''re the same kind."

"......" Buddy, you''ve got it all wrong. I''m straight, okay? Just because I haven''t met a woman I like doesn''t mean I like men!

"Lucas, let''s work together until we find someone we truly like. You don''t want your family constantly nagging you about dating, do you?"

"What if we never find someone we like?"

"Then when the time comes, we''ll get married. If we don''t find someone we want to have a passionate love affair with, it doesn''t matter who we''re with. We don''t dislike each other and get along well enough, right? We can be companions for each other!"

"Deal!"

I genuinely thought this was a good idea. As she said, I don''t like men, but I don''t have much interest in women either. I''d rather quietly finish reading a book.

I don''t want to date or get married, but I can''t resist the pressure from my family. When the time comes, I''ll be set up on blind dates, meet someone who seems okay, and start a family. So why not find someone who shares the same opinion from the start?

After discussing it, we defined our relationship more clearly, making our interactions more comfortable and pleasant. Our relationship was more like friends, or as Rebecca put it, like best friends.

Then I discovered that Rebecca wasn''t as she appeared. On the surface, she was an administrative worker, but in private, she loved reading and writing same-sex novels. She often recommended these novels to me, even finding time to think of me amidst her busy schedule.

During Labor Day, I took Rebecca to visit our hometown and see our parents. At the dinner table, our parents brought up someone, causing me to have the strange dreams that had troubled me for years.

Unable to sleep, I picked up a novel from my nightstand. It was one Rebecca had been reading in the car and had hastily put in my backpack. After finishing the novel, I felt like a new world had opened up to me. Rebecca truly is amazing.